Lacing and lace-fastener.



H. D. LE FEBVRE.

LACING AND LACE FASTENER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 3.1315.

1 l 52AQ2; Patented Se'pt. 7,.1915.

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HENRY D. LEFEBVRE, or ALPENA, iVIICI-IIGAN.

LACING Ann LAGE-FASTENEB.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented se t. a ieic.

Application filed February 3, 1915. Serial No. 5,814.

To all 20. o n l. it may concern:

Be it known that, I, HENRY D. Lnrncvnn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Alpena, in the county of Alpena and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lacings and Lace- Fasteners, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in lacing means, and has for its object to provide a novel construction whereby the lacing operation may be quickly and perfectly accom- I plished Without loss of time and the lacing terminals either knotted in the usual manner or brought into engagement with a spring clip at the option of the user.

Further objects of the invention are to provide a lacing means and terminal which is simple and inexpensive in its construction, which admits of thetwo opposed edges or elements being perfectly connected in the desired manner without loss of time, which can be quickly manipulated with but one hand, and which cani be used with equal facility upon shoes, overshoes, gloves and the like.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel combinations and arrangements of the parts as will more fully appear as the description proceeds, the novel features thereof being pointed out in the appended claims.

For a full understanding of the invention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a shoe provided at the front thereof with a lacing device constructed in accordance with the invention. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a shoe provided at one sidethereof with a lacing arrangement constructed in accordance with the invention, the shoe being shown as laced and the lacing terminals connected by a knot in the usual manner. Fig. 8 is an enlarged detail view of the upper portion of a shoe constructed to be laced in accordance with the invention, the lacing terminals being connected by the usual knot. Fig. 4: is a similar view showing the lacing terminals as engaged by the spring clip. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of the combined spring clip and lacing hook. Fig. 6 is an edge view of the same showing itas applied to a thickness of material, said thickness of material appearing in section.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description andindicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters. 7

For the purpose of illustration the invention has been shown upon the drawing as used in connection with a shoe, although it will be understood that it is equally well adapted for use upon gloves, leggings, and

. like articles.

In Fig. 1 the shoe 1 is shown as formed with an upper which opens at the front, while in Fig. 2 the shoe 2 is shown as formed with an upper which opens at one side. The manner of applying the lacing tothe shoe is identical in each case, so that the same description will apply to both forms of shoe. Oneof the edges or elements 3 to be connected is provided with a series of lacing hooks t of the conventional construction and eyelets 5 at the ends of the series of lacing hooks. The opposite edge or:element 6 to be connected is provided with a series of lacing hooks ,7 which have a staggered relation with respect to the opposed lacing hooks 4. Said opposite edge 6 is also provided at one end of the series of lacing hooks with a ter minal clip O which has a peculiar construction so that the ends of the lace can either be knotted or engaged by the ;te'rminal clip flat base 8 has a pair of parallel slits cut in each end thereof, thereby providing an in termediate tongue and a pair of side prongs at each end of the base. The side prongs may be suitably sharpened and bent rearwardly as indicated at 9, so as to be employed in the usual manner for securing the terminal clip to the thickness of leather or other material. The intermediate tongue at one end of the base plate 8 is comparatively short and is bent outwardly to provide a rigid hook 10. The intermediate tongue at the opposite end of the base plate is comparatively long and is deflected outwardly so as to provide a yielding arm 11 which is adapted to cocperate with the base plate to grip a lace or like member which may be forcibly drawn under the same. The free end of the spring clamping arm 11 is returned at 12 so as to provide a rounded nose for directing a-lace under the clamping. arm, and also provide a lacing hook at one end of the series of lacing hooks 7 upon the edge or element 6 to be connected.

A preferred manner of using alace in connection with the lacing hooks and spring terminal clip is illustrated by the drawings. An intermediate portion of the lace 14 is threaded twice through the lower eye 5 of the edge 3. One end of the lace 14: is carried upwardy on the inside of the shoe and passed through theupper eye 5, while the oppositeend ofthe lace is adapted to be threaded back and forth in a zigzag manner through the two series of lacing hooks 4: and 7 for thepurpose of connecting the opposed edges 3 and 6 in the desired manner.

The extremity of thisend of the lace 14 may either be passed around the lacing hook member 12 of the terminal clip and connected to the opposite extremity of the lace by 'means of a knot 15 in the usual manner, or

the two extremities of the lace may be placed together, first drawn around the fixed hook member 10 at the rear endof the terminal clip and then drawn around the spring clamping arm 11 soas to be engaged there: by,.as indicated by Fig. 4:. It is entirely optional with the user whether he will connect theextremities of the lace by a knot, as illustrated by'Figs. '2 and 3, orwhether he will merely draw them into an operative engagement with the spring terminal clip, as illllS':

.trated by Fig. 4, The lacing can be very quickly accomplished with a single hand,

and a perfect connection-is provided between the opposed edges or elements to-be joined.

Having thus described the' invention, what'I claimas new and desire'to secure by Letters Patent, is

' 1. A lacing terminal clip formed from a single piece of sheet material and including a plate having a rigid hooked arm at one end thereof and an opposed spring clamping arm at the opposite end thereof, said rigid hooked arm and spring clamping arm projecting in opposite directions and the extremity of the spring clamping arm being returned outwardly to provide a lacing hook carried by the clamping arm and extending in an opposite direction thereto.

2. A lacing terminal clip formed from a single piece of sheet material and including a plate having a pair of parellel slits in each end thereof, said slits providing an intermediate tongue and a pair of side prongs at each end of the plate, and the corresponding tongues and side prongs being in alinement with each other, the side prongs being sharpened and bent rearwardly and one of the intermediate tongues being comparatively short and bent outwardly to provide a rigid hooked arm while the opposite intermediate tongue is comparatively long and is deflected outwardly to provide a spring clamping arm adapted to cooperate with the plate to grasp a lacing, the rigid hooked arm and the spring clamping arm projecting in opposite directions from the plate and the extremity of the clamping arm being returned to provide a lacing hook which is carried by the spring clamping arm and projects in the opposite direction thereto. 1

'In testimony-whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY D. LEFEBVRE.

V Witnesses: WALTER M. LEFEBVRE,

\ AND. CHRISTOPHERSON.

Copies of this patent ma ybeobtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

. Washington, D. 0. 

